Poor Red's in the nearby village of El Dorado (about 8km south of Placerville) is a California institution — a Gold Rush-era roadhouse that has been serving barbecue and whisky to Sierra Nevada travellers since 1945. The building itself dates to the Gold Rush period. It looks rough from the outside and the decor has not been updated since the Carter administration, which is entirely the point.
The Golden Cadillac cocktail — a house invention combining Galliano and cream — was invented here in 1952 and is still the drink to order. The ribs and beef brisket are the food reason to stop. It's a landmark on a stretch of Highway 49 that has plenty of them, and the place is packed on weekend evenings with a mix of locals and travellers who've done their homework.